Tetsuya Chiba, 'Ashita no Joe' Creator, Dies at 87

Tetsuya Chiba, the Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the boxing series "Ashita no Joe," died on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at a hospital in Tokyo. He was 87. His publisher Kodansha announced the death on Tuesday, October 27, in a notice that said he died at 6 p.m. on October 22. The Japan Cartoonists Association, which Chiba once led, also confirmed the death, Kyodo News reported. NHK reported that he died of myelodysplastic syndrome, a disorder of the bone marrow. Kodansha's notice did not state a cause of death.

The funeral was held privately with close family. Shogakukan, another of his publishers, said his wife, Yukiko Chiba, served as chief mourner. The family declines condolence money, flowers and telegrams, and asked the media not to interview the bereaved family. A farewell gathering is under consideration.

Ashita no Joe

Chiba provided the art for "Ashita no Joe," written by Asao Takamori and later translated into English as "Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow." The series began in Weekly Shonen Magazine in January 1968 and follows an orphan, Joe Yabuki, on his journey into professional boxing. Its depiction of postwar Japan resonated with readers, Kyodo reported, and the series became so popular that fans attended a mock funeral for the protagonist's fictional rival.

From Manchuria to the drawing desk

Chiba was born on January 11, 1939, in Tsukiji, Tokyo. As a child he moved with his family to Manchuria, now part of northeastern China, where his father worked in a paper factory during Japan's occupation of the region. The family returned to Japan after its surrender in World War II. He made his debut in 1956, began his career with comics for girls, and shifted to works aimed at boys, becoming popular for his sports-themed manga. His other well-known works include "Ore wa Teppei," "Notari Matsutaro" and "Ashita Tenki ni Naare." In 1995, Chiba and several other manga artists published a compilation of their repatriation experiences from Manchuria, and he continued advocating for peace and opposing war.

Honors late in life

Chiba led the Japan Cartoonists Association for six years from 2012. In 1980, Kodansha established the Tetsuya Chiba Award, a newcomer award for seinen manga named in his honor, and Chiba took part in the final judging for decades. In 2022, he became one of the first manga artists selected for membership of the Japan Art Academy, which praised his contribution to sports-themed comics. In 2024, he became the first manga artist to receive the Order of Culture, at a ceremony at the Imperial Palace on Culture Day, November 3, 2024. Emperor Naruhito told him at the ceremony: "I'm very pleased that you have made great achievements after many years of hard work and served to improve our culture." Chiba said he was proud of the honor for shining a light on the work of manga creators and helping to elevate it to a respected genre.

In April 2026, the Agency for Cultural Affairs began storing more than 70,000 items of Chiba's materials, original drawings among them, at a storage facility near Tokyo. His comment, released through the agency, was this: "In every single frame, the suffering and the life of that time are packed." Kodansha's tribute said Chiba "left behind numerous masterpieces during his 70-year career" and "possessed boundless love and trust for manga as a creative medium."